Bicycle rear suspension system

ABSTRACT

A bicycle rear suspension system has a virtual pivot point that is close to a junction between a chain and a front driving sprocket when a piston rod travels relative to a cylinder body by ¼ to ⅓ of a maximum displacement value, and that moves rearwardly when a rear wheel moves upwardly away from the ground. A line interconnecting an instant center of a rear triangular frame and a contacting point between a rear wheel and the ground forms an angle of about 45° with respect to a horizontal line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a bicycle, and more particularly to a bicycle rear suspension system.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,538 discloses a bicycle rear suspension system. Although the bicycle rear suspension system can effectively absorb shock applied to a rear wheel, it has a relatively complicated structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a bicycle rear suspension system that has a simple structure.

According to this invention, a bicycle rear suspension system includes a rear triangular frame disposed behind a front triangular frame and supporting a rear wheel thereon, a pair of upper and lower links each interconnecting the front and rear triangular frames at two ends thereof, and a damping hydraulic cylinder having a front end connected pivotally to the front triangular frame, and a rear end connected pivotally to an intermediate portion of the upper link. The damping hydraulic cylinder includes a cylinder body and a piston rod.

The bicycle rear suspension system has a virtual pivot point that is close to a junction between a chain and a front driving sprocket when the piston rod travels relative to the cylinder body by ¼ to ⅓ of a maximum displacement value, and that moves rearwardly when a rear wheel moves upwardly away from the ground. A line interconnecting an instant center of a rear triangular frame and a contacting point between a rear wheel and the ground forms an angle of about 45° with respect to a horizontal line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment of a bicycle rear suspension system according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating an angle formed between a horizontal line and a line interconnecting an instant center and a contacting point between a rear wheel and the ground;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating rotation of a pair of upper and lower links in response to upward movement of the rear wheel away from the ground; and

FIG. 4 illustrates how a virtual pivot point is moved rearwardly when the rear wheel moves upwardly away from the ground.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of a bicycle rear suspension system 100 is disposed on a bicycle that includes a front triangular frame 200, a front wheel 300 disposed on a front end of the front triangular frame 200, a crank unit 400 disposed on a bottom portion of the front triangular frame 200, a drive unit 500 driven by the crank unit 400, and a rear wheel 600 disposed behind the front triangular frame 200 and supported by the suspension system 100. The suspension system 100 is used to absorb shock applied to the rear wheel 600. The front triangular frame 200 includes a crankshaft 210 disposed at a bottom portion thereof for connection with the crank unit 400, a rearwardly and downwardly inclined integral lower connecting rod 220 disposed below the crankshaft 210, and a rearwardly and upwardly inclined integral upper connecting rod 230 disposed above the crankshaft 210. The crank unit 400 includes a crank 410 and two pedals 420 connected respectively to two ends of the crank 410. The drive unit 500 includes a front driving sprocket 510 connected to the crank unit 400 in a known manner, a rear driven sprocket 520 connected to the rear wheel 600 in a known manner, and a chain 530 trained on the front driving sprocket 510 and the rear driven sprocket 520.

The suspension system 100 includes a rear triangular frame 10 disposed behind the front triangular frame 200 and having a rear end for supporting the rear wheel 600 thereon; a lower link 20 interconnecting the front and rear triangular frames 200, 10 pivotally; an upper link 30 interconnecting the front and rear triangular frames 200, 10 pivotally and disposed above the lower link 20; and a damping hydraulic cylinder 40 interconnecting the front triangular frame 200 and the upper link 30.

The rear triangular frame 10 has a generally horizontal lower fork portion 11 disposed adjacent to and somewhat higher than the crankshaft 210 at a front end 111 thereof and extending rearwardly in a direction (X), an inclined upper fork portion 12 disposed above and extending integrally, upwardly, and forwardly from a rear end of the lower fork portion 11, and a dropout unit 13 disposed at a juncture between the upper and lower fork portions 12, 11.

The lower link 20 has a first end that is provided with a first pivot pin 21 for connecting the first end of the lower link 20 rotatably to the lower connecting rod 220 of the front triangular frame 200 at a location adjacent to the crankshaft 210, and a second end that is provided with a second pivot pin 22 for connecting the second end of the lower link 20 rotatably to the front end 111 of the lower fork portion 11 of the rear triangular frame 10. The first pivot pin 21 has a rotating axis 21′ (see FIG. 3) that is disposed below and behind the rotating axis 210′ (see FIG. 3) of the crankshaft 210 of the front triangular frame 200.

The upper link 30 has a first end that is provided with a third pivot pin 31 for connecting the first end of the upper link 30 rotatably to the upper connecting rod 230 of the front triangular frame 200 at a location above the crankshaft 210, a second end that is provided with a fourth pivot pin 32 for connecting the second end of the upper link 30 rotatably to a front end 121 of the upper fork portion 12 of the rear triangular frame 12, and an intermediate portion 33 located between the third and fourth pivot pins 31, 32.

The damping hydraulic cylinder 40 includes a cylinder body 41 connected pivotally to the front triangular frame 200 at a front end thereof, and a piston rod 42 having a front end connected movably to the cylinder body 41, and a rear end connected pivotally to the intermediate portion 33 of the upper link 30. The piston rod 42 is movable relative to the cylinder body 41 by a distance that is equal to or smaller than a maximum displacement value.

Referring to FIG. 2, when a rear brake (not shown) is actuated, a braking force (F) that is applied to the rear wheel 600 along a force application line (B) will affect the shock-absorbing characteristics of the suspension system 100. The force application line (B) forms an angle (θ) with respect to a horizontal line (H). The angle (θ) is typically in the range of 40° to 50°. In this embodiment, the angle (θ) is about 45°. The rear triangular frame 10 has an instant center (O) relative to the front triangular frame 200. The instant center (O) is located at an intersecting point of a first line (L1) interconnecting the rotating axes of the first and second pivot pins 21, 22 and a second line (L2) interconnecting the rotating axes of the third and fourth pivot pins 31, 32. Because the force application line (B) interconnects the instant center (O) and a contacting point (P) between the rear wheel 600 and the ground, the effect of the braking force (F) on the shock-absorbing characteristics of the suspension system 100 can be minimized.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, when the rear wheel 600 travels on a bumped road surface (not shown) to thereby move upwardly in a direction (Y) away from the ground, the second pivot pin 22 of the lower link 20 rotates about the first pivot pin 21 of the lower link 20 in a counterclockwise direction away from the front triangular frame 200 and toward the rear wheel 600, while the fourth pivot pin 32 of the upper link 30 rotates about the third pivot pin 31 of the upper link 30 in a clockwise direction away from the rear wheel 600 and toward the front triangular frame 200. At the same time, the piston rod 42 of the damping hydraulic cylinder 40 will retract into the cylinder body 41 of the damping hydraulic cylinder 40 so as to retard relative movement between the front and rear triangular frames 200, 10.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the suspension system 100 has a virtual pivot point (VPP) that represents the rotating center of the center of the rear wheel 600 when the rear wheel 600 moves relative to the front triangular frame 200. When the rear wheel 600 is disposed at a normal position shown in FIG. 1, the piston 42 travels relative to the cylinder body 41 by ¼ to ⅓ of the maximum displacement value, and the virtual pivot point (VPP) is disposed close to a junction between the chain 530 and the front driving sprocket 510. Thus, a loss in pedaling energy can be reduced. When the rear wheel 600 moves upwardly away from the ground, the virtual pivot point (VPP) moves rearwardly, as shown in FIG. 4, so as to reduce uncomfortable kickback of the pedals 420.

Some of the advantages of this invention can be summarized as follows:

-   (1) The structure of the suspension system 100 is relatively simple. -   (2) When the rear wheel 600 is disposed at its normal position     relative to the front triangular frame 200, the virtual pivot point     (VPP) is close to the junction between the chain 530 and the front     driving sprocket 510. As a consequence, a loss in pedaling energy     can be reduced. -   (3) When the rear wheel 600 moves upwardly away from the ground, the     virtual pivot point (VPP) moves rearwardly so as to reduce     uncomfortable kickback of the pedals (420). -   (4) Because the line (B) interconnecting the instant center (O) and     the contacting point (P) between the rear wheel 600 and the ground     forms the angle (θ) of about 45° with respect to the horizontal line     (H), the effect of rear wheel braking on the shock-absorbing     characteristics of the suspension system 100 is reduced     significantly.

With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims. 

1. A bicycle rear suspension system for absorbing shock applied to a rear wheel of a vehicle, the bicycle including a front triangular frame, a front wheel disposed on a front end of the front triangular frame, a crank unit disposed on a bottom portion of the front triangular frame, and a drive unit driven by the crank unit, the rear wheel being disposed behind the front triangular frame and being supported by the suspension system, the crank unit including a crank and two pedals connected respectively to two ends of the crank, the drive unit including a front driving sprocket connected to the crank unit, a rear driven sprocket connected to the rear wheel, and a chain trained on the front driving sprocket and the rear driven sprocket, said suspension system comprising: a rear triangular frame adapted to be disposed behind the front triangular frame and having a rear end adapted to support the rear wheel thereon; and a damping hydraulic cylinder adapted to connect said rear triangular frame to the front triangular frame and including a cylinder body and a piston rod, one of said cylinder body and said piston rod being adapted to be connected pivotally to one of the front triangular frame and said rear triangular frame, the other of said cylinder body and said piston rod being adapted to be connected pivotally to the other of the front triangular frame and said rear triangular frame, said piston rod being movable relative to said cylinder body by a distance that is equal to or smaller than a maximum displacement value; said suspension system having a virtual pivot point that is adapted to represent a rotating center of a center of the rear wheel when the rear wheel moves relative to the front triangular frame, that is adapted to be close to a junction between the chain and the front driving sprocket when said piston rod travels relative to said cylinder body by ¼ to ⅓ of the maximum displacement value, and that moves rearwardly when the rear wheel moves upwardly away from the ground; said rear triangular frame having an instant center relative to the front triangular frame, a line interconnecting said instant center and a contacting point between the rear wheel and the ground forming an angle of about 40° to 50° with respect to a horizontal line.
 2. A bicycle rear suspension system adapted to be disposed between a front triangular frame and a rear wheel, the front triangular frame having a bottom portion that is provided with a crankshaft, said bicycle rear suspension system comprising: a rear triangular frame having a lower fork portion and an upper fork portion disposed above said lower fork portion, each of said upper and lower fork portions having a front end, said front end of said lower fork portion being adapted to be disposed adjacent to the crankshaft of the front triangular frame; a lower link having a first end that is provided with a first pivot pin adapted to connect said first end of said lower link rotatably to the front triangular frame at a location adjacent to the crankshaft, and a second end that is provided with a second pivot pin for connecting said second end of said lower link rotatably to said front end of said lower fork portion of said rear triangular frame; an upper link located above said lower link and having a first end that is provided with a third pivot pin adapted to connect said first end of said upper link rotatably to the front triangular frame at a location above the crankshaft, and a second end that is provided with a fourth pivot pin for connecting said second end of said upper link rotatably to said front end of said upper fork portion of said rear triangular frame; and a damping hydraulic cylinder adapted to connect said rear triangular frame to the front triangular frame and including a cylinder body and a piston rod, one of said cylinder body and said piston rod being adapted to be connected pivotally to one of the front triangular frame and said upper link, the other of said cylinder and said piston rod being connected pivotally to the other of the front triangular frame and said upper link, said upper link being connected pivotally to said damping hydraulic cylinder at a location between said third and fourth pivot pins.
 3. The bicycle rear suspension system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first pivot pin of said lower link has a rotating axis that is adapted to be disposed below and behind that of the crankshaft of the front triangular frame.
 4. The bicycle rear suspension system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said upper and lower links are oriented such that, when the rear wheel moves upwardly away from the ground, said second pivot pin of said lower link rotates about said first pivot pin of said lower link in a direction away from the front triangular frame and toward the rear wheel, while said fourth pivot pin of said upper link rotates about said third pivot pin of said upper link in a direction away from the rear wheel and toward the front triangular frame, thereby permitting said piston rod of said damping hydraulic cylinder to retract into said cylinder body of said damping hydraulic cylinder. 